Many gyms allow people to remove their masks during exercise, as if the coronavirus would politely avoid infecting others during exercise. It won’t, of course. Even if it’s cool to exercise without a mask wherever you are, it doesn’t make it a good idea.
The CDC recently highlighted some cases of over-propagating events in gyms. At a gym in Chicago, 81 people were exposed to the coronavirus during classes and 55 had symptoms. The gym spaced people two meters away, required masks on arrival, and used temperature checks and symptom tests to try to exclude anyone who was sick.
But, as we should all know, you can be contagious for a day or more before symptoms start. Thus, a person can show up for class, without knowing that he is sick, and then take the gym class without a mask. The CDC report also found that people sometimes showed up for class while waiting for the test results. It is not new that all this is a great way to spread the virus.
We’ve seen this before. To remember the Canadian cycling studio that followed all the rules, including how the rules allowed unmasked classes? Or the outbreak in Hawaii gyms where masks were not needed?
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A room full of people breathing heavily, without masks or adequate ventilation, is a risky place during a coronavirus pandemic. For those who complain that it is boring or even impossible to do exercises with a mask, I say, if you can’t do this with a mask, you shouldn’t do it indoors, close to other people.
The CDC report on the Chicago academy has the following to say about making exercise safer, my emphasis:
To reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in fitness facilities, participants must wear a mask, including during high intensity activities when ≥6 feet away. In addition, facilities should reinforce physical distance, improve ventilation and encourage participants to isolate after the onset of symptoms or receive a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and quarantine after potential exposure to SARS-CoV- 2 and pending test results. Exercising outdoors or virtually can further reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
If your gym doesn’t require other people to wear masks, it’s safer to just not go. If you decide to take the risk and attend anyway, consider avoiding cardio classes, where everyone is breathing heavily. minimize the amount of time you spend in the building.
We have too a summary here of home exercise ideas. Watch a training video! Use a group fitness app! Catch some dumbbells or resistance bands! Cancel your subscription and invest in a whole home gym! Go outside and go to run! And if you’ve already experienced all of this, we have some ideas about what to do when you are bored with training at home.